From 2009-2012 I paid off 28,000 of my own debt. During that time I moved from Long Beach back to Whittier, met the man who is now my husband, and learned tons about how to manage my money. I'm back to blogging now that I'm married and my husband and I work to pay off his student loans. We're adding a baby to the mix this year, to keep things interesting. I don't own a home (and I'm just past 30) but I've come a long way on my financial journey!

Monday, July 6, 2015

This month we will pay off one of DH's loan companies, leaving one to go. That's four loans we've paid off in two years of marriage (today is our anniversary!). The total with the back-interest he owed is about 28k in two years. :)

The plan is to pay off the second loan company (13,500) by our third anniversary. And then discuss relocating for DH to get a job, having another baby, etc.

If we decide to move, that will definitely be a big expense. And if DH works, we'll have to start paying daycare. Also, I am highly paid as a teacher here (though cost of living is high here too). There are a lot of "if's" for us in the next year or so.

But, I know that I want to get pregnant again by next summer. Which also involves saving money for maternity leave and other baby things.

All that to say, I want to get even more gazelle-intense, and pay off the loan even sooner, AND bump up our savings.

So, last night I decided that for any extra purchase, I am going to ask myself, "Would you rather have ____, or have another baby?"

This becomes a no-brainer. McDonald's iced coffee or another baby? New lip gloss or another baby? Turn on the air conditioner or have another baby? DUH! Another baby!

Obviously we will still occasionally spend "extra" money. Our quality of life matters too. But I think I'm going to save those extras for things that cultivate our relationship (date night, etc.) and bring us true joy (small family trip), rather than stupid things that I don't really mind going without. Asking myself this question is already making me think twice about how I spend.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Hello! It's been almost a year since I posted here. I'm not sure if anyone still has me on their readers, but just in case...

Last August I had a baby girl! She's awesome. :) I went back to work full time in November while my husband stayed home, went to school part-time, and continues to ref soccer games as a part-time weekend gig.

As soon as I get paid for summer school, we're knocking out student loan 4 out of 5! We will then have one big one (13k) left to go. I'm proud of the progress we've made so far. Our goal is to be 100% debt-free by our 3rd anniversary next July. It will be tough, but I think we can do it.

Anyway, those are the highlights. If anyone's still reading, maybe I'll get back to posting more. :)